Part 1 - inner simplicity
Part 2 - first 5 suggestions for a simple life
6. Develop a deeper appreciation for the creation.
One of my favorite places to be is in the woods on a cool autumn morning. There have only been a few times in my life when I've gotten to experience such a wonderful solitude. The beautiful colors of the foliage, the crunch of the leaves beneath my feet, the smell of a distant smoldering campfire... a sensory explosion. Who could deny a Creator in such surroundings?!
When I'm truly enjoying nature, whether in the mountains, on the beach, at an aquarium or zoo, I can feel the weight of the world lift off my shoulders. I usually leave such places refreshed and renewed. I should remember these feelings when I'm planning vacations and activities. Take time to include a creation experience on a more regular basis.
7. Look with a healthy skepticism at all "buy now, pay later" schemes.
Steve and I were lucky enough to be exposed to Dave Ramsey during our engagement. I know Dave's principles and demeanor are not everyone's style, but we learned so many important lessons that gave us a strong foundation for money matters in our marriage. A huge lesson we took to heart was to save cash for items we want to buy. It's very easy to get in over your head in credit card and miscellaneous debt. Do we really need fancy furniture NOW or can we practice some self discipline and save up to pay cash for it? Our money almost certainly has a more kingdom-worthy use than paying interest.
8. Use plain, honest speech.
Have you ever committed to something and then a more interesting opportunity came up that made you back out on your original commitment? I sure have! Living a simple life means we are dependable and trustworthy. We mean what we say.
9. Reject anything that will breed the oppression of others.
This is a hard one! Most of the clothes and much of the food we purchase are produced in a country where labor practices are unfair. There are several ways we can reduce the role we play in these immoral cycles.
Steve and I have decided that we are going to purchase our clothing through either thrift stores, American-made brands, or fair trade resources. Thrift store clothing may have been made in a sweat shop, but giving them a second life prevents one more shirt or pair of pants from needing to be produced. Purchasing clothing that is American-made might not be as cheap as clothing made in Indonesia which is a change in mindset for me. I'm always looking to spend the least amount of money possible on clothing. But I can't justify the abuse of others to save myself a few bucks.
Where is your coffee grown? Your electronics produced? Do you ask others to do a task you find beneath you? Taking baby steps to improve the lives of those who work to provide for you in one way or another is at least a step in the right direction.
10. Shun whatever would distract you from your main goal.
Back to the issue of the iPhone... I read A LOT online about gentle parenting, being a woman of God, healthy cooking, and minimalism. I try as much as possible to follow Christian bloggers or those that express Christ-like ideas.
I acknowledge, however, that I struggle with being WAY too distracted by these wonderful blogs. I don't feel the need to shun my phone, per se, because I find such encouragement from what I read. It's a support system for me in way to know there are others out there seeking to live out their faith in the same ways to which I'm feeling called. But I am going to challenge myself to limit my time on my phone to certain times a day and for limited amounts of time. It's more important to me to focus my energy on my family and friends.
Some things we might need to shun, depending on our distractions, include certain TV shows or TV altogether, shopping for leisure, buffets, or secular music.
With all of these 10 suggestions for expressing simplicity in your life, you need to spend some time in reflection. No two people will have all of the exact same convictions when it comes to living a simple life. A struggle for one person may not be an issue at all for another. Above all, spend time in prayer to seek out how God desires for you to live.
Foster eloquently closes out the chapter with a prayer:
"God give us the courage, wisdom and strength always to hold as the number-one priority of our lives to 'seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,' understanding all that that implies. To do so is to live in simplicity."
Monday, November 4, 2013
Friday, November 1, 2013
Tis a gift to be free (Part 2 of 3)
In my last post, I discussed focusing our inner attitudes about simplicity on worshiping The Lord. But as Foster says, "the inner reality [of simplicity] is not a reality until there is an outward expression." When our spirits are truly focused on Him, we can't help but live it out in our everyday lives.
Foster then gives 10 "suggestions" on how to live simply. He cautions that these shouldn't be viewed as law lest the actions no longer be genuine acts of worship. Here's the first 5 suggestions and how I'm hoping to implement them in my life.
1. Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status.
I feel like I have a handle on this for the most part. When I was a teenager, I did worry about clothing brands. This is not a concern for me anymore, even for the clothes that the girls wear. Obviously I want to look nice, but who's really going to pull the tag out of my shirt or pants and judge me if it says Faded Glory instead of Gap?
Other areas of life we might struggle with this as adults is what neighborhood we live in or what kind of car we drive. It's not inherently wrong to live in a nice house or drive a nice car, but do so because it's the house or car that meets your needs.
2. Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you.
I hate forming habits. Occasionally I'll commit to stop checking Facebook or turning on the tv, etc because I realize I'm not being intentional. I'm doing things out of habit and distraction.
Where do you see addiction in your life? Sodas, coffee, tv, games, food, money? Free yourself from things that stand between you and a simple life.
3. Develop a habit of giving things away.
This especially applies to anything you are attached to. I seriously have clothes in my closet from high school that I hang on to for that one time I might need it. Ridiculous. This is an area where I'm challenging myself.
I wouldn't consider myself a hoarder by any means, but I still finds rooms and closets that need decluttering. If I'm feeling stressed by the amount of toys scattered on the floor or the mountain of laundry needing tending to, I know that's my cue that it's time to let go.
4. Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry.
Hello, iPhone!! I REALLY struggle with what I'm supposed to feel about mobile devices. I LOVE my phone, I LOVE the iPad. Does that mean I HAVE to give them away? Not necessarily I'm hoping. ;) (can you tell this is a touchy point for me?)
I got my iPhone when I dropped our iPod Touch in the toilet. I used the iPod Touch along with my $10 go phone to do all the same things I do now with my iPhone. So while I was "simplyfying" the number of gadgets I carried around, I opened the door (or toilet lid as the case may be) for buying a gadget the world convinced me I needed.
Do you need the newest upgrade of a mobile device or other item just because it's available? Consider using something until it wears out.
5. Learn to enjoy things without owning them.
This can apply to large purchases such as time shares as well as small purchases such as books and movies. In our younger days, early in our marriage before expenses like babies came along, we dreamed of someday joining the Disney Vacation Club. We were suckers for that Disney spirit. :) We now have other financial priorities and desire to see much more of the world than we would be committed to with the Vacation Club offers.
On the smaller scale, the library is an amazing resource for being able to enjoy books and movies without actually spending any money. (Unless you're like me and forget to renew 3 DVDs for a few days.) Katie is obsessed with a Toy Story Collection book we checked out from the library. We can check the book out for 3 months as long as no one else puts a hold on it. And if she decides a couple weeks later she wants the book again, we can check it out for another 3 months. Surely by then she or I would get tired enough of the book that we'll be glad we didn't fork out $15-20 for the book just to sit on the bookshelf. Don't get me wrong, I think books are one of the best investments you can make for a child. But the extensive selection available at the library guarantees exposure to a plethora of writing styles, illustration styles, and topics.
Don't underestimate the value of friends with resources either. If you're considering purchasing an appliance that you would use on a very rare occasion, check with friends to see if they already own a similar appliance. Chances are, they're only using the appliance on a rare basis and would love to have an excuse to blow the dust off of it. Borrowing appliances such as ice cream makers, bread makers, sewing machines, etc. can save you a lot of money. You might find you don't care for a particular brand or don't have time to use the appliance as often as you thought.
So that's suggestions #1-5 of living a simple life. Part 3, we'll explore #6-10.
~Carla
Foster then gives 10 "suggestions" on how to live simply. He cautions that these shouldn't be viewed as law lest the actions no longer be genuine acts of worship. Here's the first 5 suggestions and how I'm hoping to implement them in my life.
1. Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status.
I feel like I have a handle on this for the most part. When I was a teenager, I did worry about clothing brands. This is not a concern for me anymore, even for the clothes that the girls wear. Obviously I want to look nice, but who's really going to pull the tag out of my shirt or pants and judge me if it says Faded Glory instead of Gap?
Other areas of life we might struggle with this as adults is what neighborhood we live in or what kind of car we drive. It's not inherently wrong to live in a nice house or drive a nice car, but do so because it's the house or car that meets your needs.
2. Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you.
I hate forming habits. Occasionally I'll commit to stop checking Facebook or turning on the tv, etc because I realize I'm not being intentional. I'm doing things out of habit and distraction.
Where do you see addiction in your life? Sodas, coffee, tv, games, food, money? Free yourself from things that stand between you and a simple life.
3. Develop a habit of giving things away.
This especially applies to anything you are attached to. I seriously have clothes in my closet from high school that I hang on to for that one time I might need it. Ridiculous. This is an area where I'm challenging myself.
I wouldn't consider myself a hoarder by any means, but I still finds rooms and closets that need decluttering. If I'm feeling stressed by the amount of toys scattered on the floor or the mountain of laundry needing tending to, I know that's my cue that it's time to let go.
4. Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry.
Hello, iPhone!! I REALLY struggle with what I'm supposed to feel about mobile devices. I LOVE my phone, I LOVE the iPad. Does that mean I HAVE to give them away? Not necessarily I'm hoping. ;) (can you tell this is a touchy point for me?)
I got my iPhone when I dropped our iPod Touch in the toilet. I used the iPod Touch along with my $10 go phone to do all the same things I do now with my iPhone. So while I was "simplyfying" the number of gadgets I carried around, I opened the door (or toilet lid as the case may be) for buying a gadget the world convinced me I needed.
Do you need the newest upgrade of a mobile device or other item just because it's available? Consider using something until it wears out.
5. Learn to enjoy things without owning them.
This can apply to large purchases such as time shares as well as small purchases such as books and movies. In our younger days, early in our marriage before expenses like babies came along, we dreamed of someday joining the Disney Vacation Club. We were suckers for that Disney spirit. :) We now have other financial priorities and desire to see much more of the world than we would be committed to with the Vacation Club offers.
On the smaller scale, the library is an amazing resource for being able to enjoy books and movies without actually spending any money. (Unless you're like me and forget to renew 3 DVDs for a few days.) Katie is obsessed with a Toy Story Collection book we checked out from the library. We can check the book out for 3 months as long as no one else puts a hold on it. And if she decides a couple weeks later she wants the book again, we can check it out for another 3 months. Surely by then she or I would get tired enough of the book that we'll be glad we didn't fork out $15-20 for the book just to sit on the bookshelf. Don't get me wrong, I think books are one of the best investments you can make for a child. But the extensive selection available at the library guarantees exposure to a plethora of writing styles, illustration styles, and topics.
Don't underestimate the value of friends with resources either. If you're considering purchasing an appliance that you would use on a very rare occasion, check with friends to see if they already own a similar appliance. Chances are, they're only using the appliance on a rare basis and would love to have an excuse to blow the dust off of it. Borrowing appliances such as ice cream makers, bread makers, sewing machines, etc. can save you a lot of money. You might find you don't care for a particular brand or don't have time to use the appliance as often as you thought.
So that's suggestions #1-5 of living a simple life. Part 3, we'll explore #6-10.
~Carla
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Tis a gift to be simple
One of the original objectives of this blog was "a journey toward a SIMPLER... lifestyle." A discussion about simplicity can go so many different directions. What renewed my spirit about simplicity, though, was a chapter from Richard Foster's classic Christian book, "Celebration of Discipline," entitled "The Discipline of Simplicity. This chapter discusses both the inner and outer attitudes toward simplicity as it relates to God's Kingdom and spiritual growth.
Side note: Foster identifies himself as a Quaker. I think I could get along very well with the Quakers. :) I've been calling Steve "Friend" for many years (and yes he answers to that as if it's his name). Plus I love oats. ;) Seriously, though, I can respect many of the ideals of the Quaker denomination.
I tend to teeter between having a materialistic mindset and having what Foster calls an "ascetic" mindset. Ascetics renounce possessions and generally feel the need to deny themselves any level of joy from what they would consider the "trappings" of this world. Example: I once deliberated for a ridiculous amount of time over a $25 pillow from Target that perfectly matched my bedroom and I thought was beautiful. I even brought the decision up in small group. When there are people starving in this town, why do I need such an overpriced luxury item? Ultimately I bought the pillow to teach myself a lesson. :)
Probably the best lesson I learned from the chapter was keeping the Kingdom of God the central purpose for simplicity. "When the kingdom of God is genuinely placed first, ecological concerns, the poor, the equitable distribution of wealth and many other things will be given their proper attention." Wow. If I'm pursuing prairie as an act of gratefulness to God and not so much as a hobby, then He will guide me in what decisions to make. Yes recycling, reducing, and reusing have many worldly benefits, but the point of doing any of those is supposed in worship of The Lord. He desires for us to enjoy His creation, the milk, and the honey. I am free to live and free to give.
So now that I'm focusing on the inner purpose of simplicity, how can I apply that to everyday life? In the next part of this series, I'll cover Foster's first 5 of 10 "outward expressions of simplicity" and discuss what they mean for me.
~Carla
Side note: Foster identifies himself as a Quaker. I think I could get along very well with the Quakers. :) I've been calling Steve "Friend" for many years (and yes he answers to that as if it's his name). Plus I love oats. ;) Seriously, though, I can respect many of the ideals of the Quaker denomination.
I tend to teeter between having a materialistic mindset and having what Foster calls an "ascetic" mindset. Ascetics renounce possessions and generally feel the need to deny themselves any level of joy from what they would consider the "trappings" of this world. Example: I once deliberated for a ridiculous amount of time over a $25 pillow from Target that perfectly matched my bedroom and I thought was beautiful. I even brought the decision up in small group. When there are people starving in this town, why do I need such an overpriced luxury item? Ultimately I bought the pillow to teach myself a lesson. :)
Probably the best lesson I learned from the chapter was keeping the Kingdom of God the central purpose for simplicity. "When the kingdom of God is genuinely placed first, ecological concerns, the poor, the equitable distribution of wealth and many other things will be given their proper attention." Wow. If I'm pursuing prairie as an act of gratefulness to God and not so much as a hobby, then He will guide me in what decisions to make. Yes recycling, reducing, and reusing have many worldly benefits, but the point of doing any of those is supposed in worship of The Lord. He desires for us to enjoy His creation, the milk, and the honey. I am free to live and free to give.
So now that I'm focusing on the inner purpose of simplicity, how can I apply that to everyday life? In the next part of this series, I'll cover Foster's first 5 of 10 "outward expressions of simplicity" and discuss what they mean for me.
~Carla
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Karis' Birth Story - Unabridged :)
To begin the journey of Karis' birth story is to take a step back 3.5 years to March 31, 2010. That's when our lives were forever changed with the arrival of our precious Katie. Katie was delivered via cesarean section due to breech presentation. Circumstances surrounding her delivery, our subsequent hospital stay, and the first weeks at home prompted me to start doing extensive research into the realm of vaginal birth after c-section (VBAC for the birth nerd world).
In December of 2012, we found out we were expecting our 2nd miracle. I began purchasing classic natural birth books like Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth and Dr. Robert Bradley's Husband-Coached Childbirth. Ina May's book was especially inspiring that my body was designed, capable, and extremely competent to deliver vaginally. Other ways I prepared for VBAC included switching care providers to an amazing midwife, focusing on optimal fetal positioning to avoid another breech baby, and monitoring my diet which involved daily protein boosts of pb and chocolate. ;)
On Saturday, August 10th, at nearly 38 weeks, I was feeling joyous for being full term. I harnessed what little energy I had to scrub the house from top to bottom, corner to corner. That afternoon, I spent about 5 hours in prodromal "false" labor. I was excited, but exhausted by the irregular back contractions. This was a sign that my body was gearing up for the main event!
After a good night's rest, we went to church the next morning and I felt fairly normal. Around 1:30 Sunday afternoon, on our way out the door to my aunt's retirement party, I decided to make one last bathroom break. I was surprised to find signs that labor was on the horizon - granted that horizon could have been 2 days to a week away. I felt a little uncomfortable the rest of the day and into the night so Steve decided to at least take Monday morning off school.
Monday around lunch time, Steve headed off to school. I was very grateful when Michelle volunteered to pick up Katie and take her back to her house to play so I could rest alone. She brought over chocolate and some magazines and warned me that things may start to get a little exciting now that I could rest and focus on what my body was telling me. Boy was she right! Not long after she left, I started having timeable, regular, slightly uncomfortable contractions. I was finally convinced that this was the main event!
My mom came over after work to play with Katie so Steve and I could get our act together. Trina also came over after work to provide support. I needed the spirit of my sister by choice present and to draw on her natural birth mojo. :) Around 7 pm, I suddenly had this urge to go to the hospital. Up to this point, I had been coping through some strong contractions, but was definitely still in the early stages of active labor. My brain questioned whether it made sense to go to the hospital, but my gut said go! Cristin, the master doula, was just finishing up teaching childbirth class and met us at the hospital.
Once we arrived, I still hesitated to check in. My worst fear was to check in at 2 cm and be subjected to all kinds of interventions. Our labor troupe wandered around the new hospital killing time until I was ready to move on. Finally around 8:15, my midwife requested that I go ahead and check in. I was relieved to find that I was 4 cm dilated. Everyone estimated a 3-4 am birth. We spent the next hour and a half settling into the delivery room and getting registered. I changed into my birthing outfit of a nursing sports bra and skirt. I wanted to be able to move freely and have easy access to the fetal monitoring belts.
I was very happy to be able to get back on my feet and move labor along. I felt that I needed to make up for lost time. The mood was still light. For some reason we go on the topic of pop tarts. We also started watching an episode of Golden Girls on Trina's iPad. Random, I know, but I remembered that Ina May said one of the most effective ways to open up your sphincters is with laughter. Pretty much nothing else makes me laugh as hard as good ole' GG.
Cristin suggested swinging my hips like a hula hoop and in the figure 8. At 11:15 pm I felt a familiar and strange pop (my water broke with Katie as well). Suddenly I was thrown into transition!! It was all I could do to hop back into bed and land on my right side grasping the bed. I couldn't believe the words, "I can't do this" were leaving my mouth. I couldn't imagine feeling that level of intense discomfort for the next 4 hours. Everyone replied, "yes you can" but basically realizing "you have no choice!"
The next 45 minutes were a blur of lights, sounds, pain, hormonal rollercoasters. One minute I was yelling "damn ya'll, damn ya'll", the next "I love all of you guys." Before I knew it, I felt the urge to push. My birth plan stated that I wanted to push with my own urges and not be told when to do so. Everyone was very patient with this process. My sweet midwife sat on the edge of the bed encouraging me along the way. Steve was by my side, letting me squeeze the heck out of his hand. Trina was documenting the process with pictures that I will treasure forever, but will spare anyone reading this from viewing. Cristin, bless her heart, was holding my left leg up in the air. Pushing was quick and actually not very painful at all! The worst pain I felt was from my backside. In hindsight, I would have requested compression if I could've gotten the words out.
At 12:05 am on August 13th, beautiful Karis Lynn left her warm cocoon and joined us earth side. She was placed on my chest and I immediately felt a bond - something I was cheated out of with Katie's birth. A few short minutes later, we were nursing and snuggling. Daddy cut the cord after delayed cord clamping.
People have asked in the days and weeks since if I would have natural birth again or if I would change anything about our experience. My answer is a wholehearted NO! I encourage every woman to educate themselves on natural birth and to believe in God's divine design. Everything about my pregnancy and her birth was a redemptive experience by the Grace of God!
~Carla
In December of 2012, we found out we were expecting our 2nd miracle. I began purchasing classic natural birth books like Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth and Dr. Robert Bradley's Husband-Coached Childbirth. Ina May's book was especially inspiring that my body was designed, capable, and extremely competent to deliver vaginally. Other ways I prepared for VBAC included switching care providers to an amazing midwife, focusing on optimal fetal positioning to avoid another breech baby, and monitoring my diet which involved daily protein boosts of pb and chocolate. ;)
On Saturday, August 10th, at nearly 38 weeks, I was feeling joyous for being full term. I harnessed what little energy I had to scrub the house from top to bottom, corner to corner. That afternoon, I spent about 5 hours in prodromal "false" labor. I was excited, but exhausted by the irregular back contractions. This was a sign that my body was gearing up for the main event!
After a good night's rest, we went to church the next morning and I felt fairly normal. Around 1:30 Sunday afternoon, on our way out the door to my aunt's retirement party, I decided to make one last bathroom break. I was surprised to find signs that labor was on the horizon - granted that horizon could have been 2 days to a week away. I felt a little uncomfortable the rest of the day and into the night so Steve decided to at least take Monday morning off school.
Monday around lunch time, Steve headed off to school. I was very grateful when Michelle volunteered to pick up Katie and take her back to her house to play so I could rest alone. She brought over chocolate and some magazines and warned me that things may start to get a little exciting now that I could rest and focus on what my body was telling me. Boy was she right! Not long after she left, I started having timeable, regular, slightly uncomfortable contractions. I was finally convinced that this was the main event!
My mom came over after work to play with Katie so Steve and I could get our act together. Trina also came over after work to provide support. I needed the spirit of my sister by choice present and to draw on her natural birth mojo. :) Around 7 pm, I suddenly had this urge to go to the hospital. Up to this point, I had been coping through some strong contractions, but was definitely still in the early stages of active labor. My brain questioned whether it made sense to go to the hospital, but my gut said go! Cristin, the master doula, was just finishing up teaching childbirth class and met us at the hospital.
 |
| Katie, junior doula, applying counterpressure |
 |
| Daddy, Mommy, and Aunt NeeNee deciding whether to check in. Still all smiles! |
Once we arrived, I still hesitated to check in. My worst fear was to check in at 2 cm and be subjected to all kinds of interventions. Our labor troupe wandered around the new hospital killing time until I was ready to move on. Finally around 8:15, my midwife requested that I go ahead and check in. I was relieved to find that I was 4 cm dilated. Everyone estimated a 3-4 am birth. We spent the next hour and a half settling into the delivery room and getting registered. I changed into my birthing outfit of a nursing sports bra and skirt. I wanted to be able to move freely and have easy access to the fetal monitoring belts.
I was very happy to be able to get back on my feet and move labor along. I felt that I needed to make up for lost time. The mood was still light. For some reason we go on the topic of pop tarts. We also started watching an episode of Golden Girls on Trina's iPad. Random, I know, but I remembered that Ina May said one of the most effective ways to open up your sphincters is with laughter. Pretty much nothing else makes me laugh as hard as good ole' GG.
Cristin suggested swinging my hips like a hula hoop and in the figure 8. At 11:15 pm I felt a familiar and strange pop (my water broke with Katie as well). Suddenly I was thrown into transition!! It was all I could do to hop back into bed and land on my right side grasping the bed. I couldn't believe the words, "I can't do this" were leaving my mouth. I couldn't imagine feeling that level of intense discomfort for the next 4 hours. Everyone replied, "yes you can" but basically realizing "you have no choice!"
The next 45 minutes were a blur of lights, sounds, pain, hormonal rollercoasters. One minute I was yelling "damn ya'll, damn ya'll", the next "I love all of you guys." Before I knew it, I felt the urge to push. My birth plan stated that I wanted to push with my own urges and not be told when to do so. Everyone was very patient with this process. My sweet midwife sat on the edge of the bed encouraging me along the way. Steve was by my side, letting me squeeze the heck out of his hand. Trina was documenting the process with pictures that I will treasure forever, but will spare anyone reading this from viewing. Cristin, bless her heart, was holding my left leg up in the air. Pushing was quick and actually not very painful at all! The worst pain I felt was from my backside. In hindsight, I would have requested compression if I could've gotten the words out.
At 12:05 am on August 13th, beautiful Karis Lynn left her warm cocoon and joined us earth side. She was placed on my chest and I immediately felt a bond - something I was cheated out of with Katie's birth. A few short minutes later, we were nursing and snuggling. Daddy cut the cord after delayed cord clamping.
 |
| Skin to skin with Mommy |
 |
| Proud Daddy |
 |
| Cristin: doula, BFF, soul sista |
 |
| The most amazing midwife, Brende! |
 |
| "Big sister, little sister, best forever friends" |
 |
| Karis Lynn, Greek for grace |
People have asked in the days and weeks since if I would have natural birth again or if I would change anything about our experience. My answer is a wholehearted NO! I encourage every woman to educate themselves on natural birth and to believe in God's divine design. Everything about my pregnancy and her birth was a redemptive experience by the Grace of God!
~Carla
Sunday, June 30, 2013
There's no such thing as a free lunch
We are so blessed to be spending our 3rd summer
as part of the Governor’s Scholars Program.
There are so many benefits to being involved in this community, not the
least of which is not having to cook for weeks!!
At lunch and supper
every day, we choose between two fast food chains, an asian station, a pizza
station, a grill (hamburger/hotdog), a hot line with rotating entrees, a
sandwich station, and a salad station.
While Steve and I are attempting to eat as healthy as our will power
allows, we’ve had a little more trouble convincing Katie to eat a variety of
foods. Bless her heart, she is drawn to
the apple & orange case every time we go to the cafeteria. So at least
there’s that and a few random fruits and vegetables she’ll eat from the salad
bar.
In college, one of my professors shared the economic idea
that there is “no such thing as a free lunch.” At the risk of sounding
completely ungrateful, I’d have to say the same applies for our family this
summer. No I don’t have to cook, or
clean up the dishes, or plan the menu, or even pay for the food! BUT, I miss cooking, and planning the menu,
and purchasing the types of foods I want to eat. (notice that I still don’t
miss washing dishes. J
). So the “cost” of our luxury is not measured
in dollars and cents per se. It’s the compromising
of many of our views on food.
I definitely do NOT want to come across as a food snob
whatsoever. However, Steve and I have
been making changes through the years, and even moreso in the past few months,
to eat what some online foodies classify as “real food.” The definition of “real food” can mean
different things to different people.
For us, it means eating foods with the least amount of ingredients
(especially those we can’t pronounce), and as close to how God intended. We often buy certified organic products
because we feel that the price difference is justified by reduced health bills
now and in the future. And frankly, most
organic foods taste better!
It saddens me how much American society has normalized
unhealthy food choices. Yesterday I
overheard some women at a museum talking about how you shouldn’t eat bananas if
you want to lose weight because bananas do not contain as much water as other
fruits. To be fair, I didn’t eaves drop
on the rest of the conversation, but I couldn’t help but wonder, what do they
feel is an acceptable substitute? We are
bombarded with images of low calorie, low fat, low whatever else products that
contain ingredient lists longer than the Los Angeles phone book! And we’re exposed to these ideas at such a
young age, that it’s definitely an uphill battle to unlearn these habits. From experience I can say that your body
craves whatever you eat. When I ate
overprocessed foods, I craved and overindulged in overprocessed foods. When I ate “diet” foods, I craved and
overindulged in diet foods. Now that I’m
attempting to eat more whole foods, I truly do crave fresh foods. In my opinion you cannot overindulge in
fruits and vegetables when they are prepared in a healthy way.
I’m also saddened by how hard it can be at times to raise a
family on real food. At least twice in
the past few weeks, complete strangers have offered Katie ice cream and cookies
when she was upset about something.
Thankfully the offers have been made directly to Steve and I, and by
some miracle of God, Katie either didn’t hear or decided not to protest our
gracious decline. We want our girls to
have a healthy view of all food. Ice cream,
cookies, fast food, etc. can be tasty and perfectly fine to partake in on
occasion (ideally less than once a week in my book). We don’t want them to have any sort of eating
disorders because we were so strict on food that they either feel ashamed to
join in celebrations or go off the deep end when they are old enough to buy
their own foods. We want them to have
control over their own bodies and decide which foods make their bodies feel the
best. But I am so done with the belief
that we should let “kids be kids” and let them eat all kinds of junk.
This is by no means a knock on the amazing service we are
receiving in the cafeteria. I feel that
many of my complaints are merely a small example of the huge problem we have in
this country with nutrition. I could
probably ramble on about this subject for days.
In fact, many people do as there are entire blogs dedicated to this
topic. And I don’t really have the
energy to turn this into an activism post.
I just hope we can stay focused on our family’s goals while at home or
away.
One of my favorite blogs on real food that includes an
extensive recipe index. I also follow
her on Pinterest and Facebook: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/
~Carla
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Dumping the Disposables (diapers, that is)
Carla and I have both cloth diapered out children. In fact, Carla has probably CD my child more than I have ;). While we both love the environmental and financial aspects of it, there are times when I am so thankful to have a disposable on hand. More on that later.
We have both used pocket diapers. These have an outer shell with a pocket, and an insert (typically made of microfiber) that fits into the pocket. Carla has also used pre-folds with a cover. We've used a variety of brands, and in my opinion, they are all similarly made.
I have certainly had a love/hate relationship with cloth diapering. We didn't start until L was about 3-4 months or about 10 pounds. I knew I wanted to cloth diaper and a friend of mine helped me start the journey by selling me her used diapers. Stop. I know what you're thinking, USED diapers?! Really though--it's no big deal (mine are washed on hot and rinsed a gazillion times-more on that in a minute). So I bought Fuzzibunz pocket diapers from her for $5 each. This was incredibly cheap. New pockets are at least $20 each.
CD is simple when/if your baby is exclusively breast fed (EBF). EBF babies' poo is water soluble so you just throw them into the washing machine. I did a load of diapers every 2 days or so. With a 4 month old, you change a LOT of diapers, so I did supplement with disposable at times.
Here is my typical wash routine:
I use Rockin Green soap, but am in the process of switching to Carla's recipe which you can find here: Laundry Day the Natural Way
I first remove all inserts from the outer shells of the diapers, and throw them all into the washer (I have a front loader HE), along with the washable trash can liner I use. I run a cold water rinse first. Then, run a hot wash with detergent, then 2 more cold rinse cycles. And voila=clean diapers! I dry the diapers on this fabulous drying rack at Ikea per Carla's advice.
At first, I was worried about staining, but Carla came through again with advice to put the drying rack outside and leave the sun to the stain fighting! Amazingly, the sun does have the power to bleach my white inserts white again!
When L started solids, I had a hard time CD. So, there for a period we did use mostly disposables. Also, he went through a weird phase where they didn't fit him that great. Poor Carla, who was watching him during the day for me, was having to constantly change his clothes due to leaks. For the poo, I researched and found that many people use a diaper sprayer that hooks onto the toilet. I read both positive and negative reviews, but ultimately decided that I didn't want to spend $50 on something that I wouldn't be satisfied with. Enter the economical but vomit inducing metal spatula. This little dear was used to scrape L's breast milk/sticky solid (mostly bananas and avocado then) poo into the toilet. And, it wasn't pretty. I just couldn't handle gagging every time I changed a poo diaper and I knew that if we continued down this road, mama was quittin' the cloth. So, I found flushable liners and they changed my life! :)
Now, I simply pick up the liner and throw it into the toilet! Much better. We are back to CD almost full-time now, due to the fact that L no longer leaks and my husband (aka babysitter during the summer since he's a teacher) is a hardcore CDer. I love that it doesn't bother him at all!
During the school year, L is at a sitter's house 4 days/week, so we do use disposables during the day. We have always used disposables at night too. The few times we've tried cloth at night (even recently) he leaked. We also use disposables when traveling for convenience.
Since several of my friends have inquired about CD, here are several factors I would use to convince you to cloth diaper (ahem, Jamie/Carrie/Macyn/Jennifer...)
 |
| 4 months old with Carla "lala" |
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| Pocket diaper with insert at his 1st birthday! See how cute! |
We have both used pocket diapers. These have an outer shell with a pocket, and an insert (typically made of microfiber) that fits into the pocket. Carla has also used pre-folds with a cover. We've used a variety of brands, and in my opinion, they are all similarly made.
I have certainly had a love/hate relationship with cloth diapering. We didn't start until L was about 3-4 months or about 10 pounds. I knew I wanted to cloth diaper and a friend of mine helped me start the journey by selling me her used diapers. Stop. I know what you're thinking, USED diapers?! Really though--it's no big deal (mine are washed on hot and rinsed a gazillion times-more on that in a minute). So I bought Fuzzibunz pocket diapers from her for $5 each. This was incredibly cheap. New pockets are at least $20 each.
CD is simple when/if your baby is exclusively breast fed (EBF). EBF babies' poo is water soluble so you just throw them into the washing machine. I did a load of diapers every 2 days or so. With a 4 month old, you change a LOT of diapers, so I did supplement with disposable at times.
Here is my typical wash routine:
I use Rockin Green soap, but am in the process of switching to Carla's recipe which you can find here: Laundry Day the Natural Way
I first remove all inserts from the outer shells of the diapers, and throw them all into the washer (I have a front loader HE), along with the washable trash can liner I use. I run a cold water rinse first. Then, run a hot wash with detergent, then 2 more cold rinse cycles. And voila=clean diapers! I dry the diapers on this fabulous drying rack at Ikea per Carla's advice.
At first, I was worried about staining, but Carla came through again with advice to put the drying rack outside and leave the sun to the stain fighting! Amazingly, the sun does have the power to bleach my white inserts white again!
When L started solids, I had a hard time CD. So, there for a period we did use mostly disposables. Also, he went through a weird phase where they didn't fit him that great. Poor Carla, who was watching him during the day for me, was having to constantly change his clothes due to leaks. For the poo, I researched and found that many people use a diaper sprayer that hooks onto the toilet. I read both positive and negative reviews, but ultimately decided that I didn't want to spend $50 on something that I wouldn't be satisfied with. Enter the economical but vomit inducing metal spatula. This little dear was used to scrape L's breast milk/sticky solid (mostly bananas and avocado then) poo into the toilet. And, it wasn't pretty. I just couldn't handle gagging every time I changed a poo diaper and I knew that if we continued down this road, mama was quittin' the cloth. So, I found flushable liners and they changed my life! :)
 |
| Source: Amazon |
Now, I simply pick up the liner and throw it into the toilet! Much better. We are back to CD almost full-time now, due to the fact that L no longer leaks and my husband (aka babysitter during the summer since he's a teacher) is a hardcore CDer. I love that it doesn't bother him at all!
During the school year, L is at a sitter's house 4 days/week, so we do use disposables during the day. We have always used disposables at night too. The few times we've tried cloth at night (even recently) he leaked. We also use disposables when traveling for convenience.
Since several of my friends have inquired about CD, here are several factors I would use to convince you to cloth diaper (ahem, Jamie/Carrie/Macyn/Jennifer...)
- Cost- I have maybe bought 3-4 boxes of diapers and my son will be 15 months in a few weeks. There is a statistic that people spend $2500 on disposable diapers until a child is potty-trained. At least when you buy cloth- you can also use them for your next child, and so on.
- One-size- with snaps and elastic on the FuzziBinz they truly are tailor made to fit your baby. I have a skinny mini and although we occasionally had leaks, I can tighten the elastic around the legs. I love knowing that I can use the same diapers from newborn until L is potty-trained.
- Washing- it's not that bad. See above.
- There are many cute colors and patterns to choose from!
Rockin the argyle print! And no, I can't figure out how to flip it!
- Environment- I can't stand to think about all those diapers in the landfill!!
Source: http://www.greenspotdropoff.org/blog/uncategorized/cloth-diapers-vs-disposable-diapers/
So if you're having a baby, if you've had a baby, or even if you have a diapered toddler- consider cloth diapers.
And---check out my friend's informative post on specifics: All You Ever Wanted to Know (and more) About Cloth Diapers
~Trina
Friday, March 29, 2013
My name is Katie. I am three! I would really like to see a tree...
A few months ago, I started asking Katie what theme she might like for her third birthday party. I love to get all crafty and plan ahead. She had become obsessed with the Lorax movie around that time and decided she wanted a "Lorlax birthday."
The main premise behind the Dr. Seuss book and movie is that the Lorax character is the guardian of the trees. When the Onceler starts chopping down the Truffula trees to makes Thneeds (a fine thing that all people need), the Lorax sets out to warn him about the dangers of cutting down the forest. Can I just stop here and say how warm it makes my heart that my daughter is a tree hugger at her core? No brain washing needed. :)
Keeping with the environmental awareness theme of the story, we used no disposable kitchen products other than the flexible straws that we decorated with Lorax mustaches for the kiddos to use. I really appreciate our family and friends going along with keeping up with their plates, napkins, cups, forks. Next year I'll try to remember that it would be nice to have separate plates for dessert. To me, the clean up was really not much more work since we just put everything in the dishwasher.
Here are some shots from the festivities:
Since her birthday actually falls on Easter this year, we thought a
"small" party with her little church buddies and a couple of cousins
would be easier than planning a big shindig right before Easter. By the
time we added in parents and siblings, we had a house full. And the
kids partied hardy!
A huge thank you to all our friends and family that helped us get ready for the party and celebrate! We are so blessed to be surrounded with love!
~Carla
The main premise behind the Dr. Seuss book and movie is that the Lorax character is the guardian of the trees. When the Onceler starts chopping down the Truffula trees to makes Thneeds (a fine thing that all people need), the Lorax sets out to warn him about the dangers of cutting down the forest. Can I just stop here and say how warm it makes my heart that my daughter is a tree hugger at her core? No brain washing needed. :)
Keeping with the environmental awareness theme of the story, we used no disposable kitchen products other than the flexible straws that we decorated with Lorax mustaches for the kiddos to use. I really appreciate our family and friends going along with keeping up with their plates, napkins, cups, forks. Next year I'll try to remember that it would be nice to have separate plates for dessert. To me, the clean up was really not much more work since we just put everything in the dishwasher.
Here are some shots from the festivities:
 |
| Truffula tree light fixture |
 |
| Katie's artwork for the party. The Lorax on the left and the Onceler on the right. I am extremely biased, but I see a little bit of a future Picasso in her collages here. ;) |
 |
| Trina and Levi playing pin the mustache on the Lorax. He was a little dizzy from spinning in circles before making his move. ;) |
 |
| Cake! Made with almost all natural or organic ingredients. Used spinach for the green icing color. Truffula tree tooth picks from Target and Barbaloots made out of Teddy Graham crackers. |
 |
| Happy Birthday to you! |
 | ||||
| A few of Katie's friends enjoying cake. |
 | |||
| I am the Boo. I speak for the trees. |
A huge thank you to all our friends and family that helped us get ready for the party and celebrate! We are so blessed to be surrounded with love!
~Carla
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